Westmalle Trappist Extra - Brouwerij Westmalle

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from a direct Belgian trade. Not sure of vintage, bit it expired in February of 2010. Purs cloudy light grapefruit with abundant generous cloud topping, and leaves lacing. The yeast has a fruity and also a funky aroma,altogether an attractive and quality smell. Mouthfeel above average, carbonation right there. A yeasty pineapple orange mango conconction. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 03:45:37 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

huge thats to joey for this one and an extra at that, wow. perfect nightcap to end my date night, in a snifter on 5.22.11

Huge white head the stayed till the end. A very nice pale amber color, that was nice and cloudy, mostly due to the carbonation. This was the most insanely carbonated brew I have ever seen! Huge chains and streams of bubble, unreal. So active and lively looking, easily a top 5 best looking beer I have ever scene, could not have made it look better!

Smell was off the hook! Tons of fruits. Predominate pears, apricots, figs. Hints of apples, bread and grains, grass. Smell was almost too complex to describe, incredible again.

The taste was a bit of a let down after the look and smell from the start, but still very very good! Taste dances around the palate with pear and apple fruit hints the biggest players. Nice smooth maltiness with the bread and grain tastes coming through again. Slight taste of alcohol but only slight. Nice well rounded and complex taste, just not as powerful as I thought.

very light and frothy with lots of carbonation. Easy to drink and wonderfully complex and alive on the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 02:44:51 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Kyle for trading this one to me. Enjoyed the other night with some dedicated tickers.

A: The pour is a fairly clear straw color with a finger's worth of an off-white head.

S: A rather light, but enjoyable aroma. Pale cracker malts with some good hop aromas that give the beer a bit of a grassy and floral note. The yeast provides a slight spice, too.

T: The hops are surprisingly vibrant in this beer. Floral and grassy qualities come through as well as a mild bitterness. Some spicy esters from the yeast as well as a bit of citrus peel.

M: The body is on the light side, but the high carbonation and rather dry, crisp finish works well for me.

D: This serves its purpose well: an easy to drink table beer. I wasn't initially too crazy about it, but as I allowed it to sit in the glass for a moment, I found it quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 00:16:22 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to TurdFurgison for the bottle. I've now had all three--wow, three--beers currently active from Westmalle. Thanks again, Eric.

Pours a straw-yellow color with quite a bit of haze and a nice, big white head and some nice lacing is it goes down. The nose is quite nice with a lot of yeast character and a bit of malt sweetness. Mild fruit there as well as a bit of grass. The taste follows along the same lines. I'm a sucker for Belgian Pale Ales, that's for sure. Mouthfeel is nice and moderately-crisp, at least for the style. Good body. Really easy to drink and wouldn't mind having this as a table beer. Quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 11:43:02 | More by Thorpe429

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of Fonefan: Poured a clear golden color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry malt base with a floral hoppy touch as well. Taste is a mix between some dry malt base with some Poppering hops, which provide a slightly dry finish with some floral notes. Full body with some great carbonation. Definitely an interesting beer to try and a refreshing Belgian ale that would be fun to try more often but in the end I would go to the Westy blonde instead of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 20:04:24 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Where saison meets tripel, and with the auspiciousness of 4.8% abv. Extra packs all of the flavors expected from these stronger styles but with heightened refreshment, delicacy, and unbridled refinement.

While pouring a murky golden-straw color with suspended yeast evident, the head character of this beer is most impressive. Billowing, but controlled. Rocky, but creamy. Persistent to the gills, the beer hardly reduces to a thick creme that accompanies even the last sip. The stark white foam laces evenly and gracefully all along the way.

Pilsner malt scent fills the nose with a cotton candy sweetness and freshly kilned barley. A soft graininess is rounded with herbal lemon grass acidity and spice. With all the Belgiany, yeasty esters and spice, the pilsner base is in firm control of the aroma.

The balance of the beer turns tripel-like with a medium-light taste of part grain, part malt and the underpinning of candied lemons (lemon drop candies). Grassy, earthy hops balance the sweetness and contribute just as much bitter flavor as the malt does sweetness. White pepper and orange peel dance about the peripheries as the beer warms and as the taste buds search for background complexities.

Lighter in body, the beer gives an airy and expansive impression with the first sips. The beer makes quick work by fading into a powdery dry finish that seems to evaporate just before the finish, leaving only a hoppy, grassy bitterness lingering in aftertaste.

Though it's a distinct honor to ever pop the cap on an authentic Trappist ale, to have one that is not available on local markets is a special moment. It's easy to appreciate the flavors that make Saison Dupont and La Fin Du Monde so popular, except with more distinction in taste and lighter strength I can imagine making a semi-session out of this highly regarded ale.

Thanks bbehr!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 03:59:58 | More by BEERchitect

drabmuh

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle split by Thorpe, thanks Mike! One of my more secret ambitions in my beer travels is to try all the Belgian Trappist beers that I can and after this I'm missing Doree, Westy 6 (red cap), and Petite Orval. So much fun to try new things.

Beer is yellow and hazy with a soft white head of small bubbles that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

Aroma is yeasty and a little sweet but overall quite weak.

The beer itself is really thin. It's a little sweet and has some nice yeasty character on the mid-palate but overall it's just weak. I know this is the lighter table beer but I can totally tell it is. It's an odd lightness to the whole thing. I'd try it again for sure but it's not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 21:42:14 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up in Europe last summer. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip. Not sure where others are finding the best before date - I didn't see anything on the cap or bottle.

A - Pours with a voluminous meringue-like foam that dissipates slowly and leaves tons of lacing. Body is a lightly hazed pale straw color with lots of tiny bubbles slowly rising up the middle of the glass.

S - Spicy and yeasty, with notes of banana, honey, and floral hops. Slight medicinal character as well, but understated. Not quite as good as Westvleteren Blonde, but still quite nice - I wish there was a little more toasted malt

T - Like the Westy the taste is more smoothed out, with less complexity. Tart green apple, floral hops, pale malt. There's a nice touch of lemony sourness in the finish.

M - Crisp, medium-light body, highly carbonated champagne-like texture. Very dry finish that I like very much. Usually I don't dig this much carbonation, but for some reason this works quite well.

D - Other than the fact that this isn't officially for sale, it's quite easy drinking. The only off-putting element might be the high carbonation. I can see why this is the table beer at Westmalle.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 08:13:26 | More by MasterSki

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Much thanks to hopdog for this vintage '04 bottle...
Appears a hazy light gold with a small white head that slowly fades out. Very mild spots of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of yeasty, candy citrus and some mild bready dough.
Taste is of the same aromas with a lemony zest standing out among flavors.
Mouthfeel is yeasty, thin, and slick along the palate.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2006 12:48:22 | More by weeare138

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12oz bottle with a best before date of July 28th, 2011. Whoops, I let this one get away on me but it has been in the fridge for quite awhile so that should even the playing field a bit. Poured into a goblet, this brew fizzes with a billowing amount of head that forms up more than 2 fingers of white coloration. The brew itself is straw yellow, a little hazy and constantly streaming with carbonation from the bottom of the glass. The head displays amazing powers of observation. It sits atop the brew composed of rather large bubbles and leaves a sticky webbing of lace and after sitting in the glass for quite some time still maintains a creamy froth of head more than a finger strong. Fantastic looking stuff here.

The smell of this brew is the pinnacle of what I think a Belgian Pale Ale should smell like. It boasts a moderate amount of fresh grainy character somewhat biscuit-like nearing cereal quality with a bright sweetness like candy. Hops are present with an equally enjoyable onset of fruity character reminiscent of lemon zest and candied oranges. As I sit here and sniff this brew, I cannot place my finger on what this brew smells like. It is so familiar yet unlike any other brew I smelled before. Then all of a sudden it hits me, this brew smells like yellow "Mike and Ike" candy. Unreal.

The taste is masterfully balanced with a flavoring of pale belgian candy sweetness meets bready to biscuit grain. Lightly zesty hops provide more citrus flavoring than they do bitterness but the bitterness is present providing a perfectly balancing act to counter the sweetness of the brew. As I focus more on what I believe is the hop flavoring, perhaps this is the yeast providing a mild fruity accent of orange to lemon zest quality, regardless it is very enjoyable. This brew finishes very dry despite the fruited and candied flavoring. I find my glass nearly empty in a very rapid amount of time.

This is a light bodied brew with a very active amount of carbonation. Perhaps just a tad much as it prevented me from being able to pour more than 8 ounces into my glass. However, the lively amount of carbonation really made this brew pop in the mouth and become an excessively enjoyable experience. The alcohol is completely hidden. This is a style of beer that I just have to be in the mood for and man the timing was right with this one. I could session this all day with a huge smile on my face. What an exceptional experience, try it if you get the chance. It absolutely devastates the Trappist Westvleteren Blonde I had about a month ago which is about the only other brew that immediately comes to mind as being on the same playing field. Now I really want to try and get my hands on some other trappist patersbier offerings. Anyone have access to Chimay Dorée or the likes of Petite Orval?

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 01:39:17 | More by stakem

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to (BIF team Good People/No Rules) who sent this to mikesgroove and I because it was on my Wants list at the time during the Good People Don’t Need Rules BIF graciously hosted by AleWatcher! Best before 04/27/13! Served from bottle into a Westmalle goblet. Poured a slightly hazy golden brownish yellow with a one finger pure white foamy head. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, bread, subtle funk, and banana. The flavor was of sweet malt, banana, fruit, funk, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a very good brew. I have been looking to try this one since I first saw it on listed on BA and it has always eluded me. Even when trying to trade for it. Just glad I had someone looking out for me this time around. This was a really nice and easy to drink brew as all the components were really well integrated and pleasant. The aroma was what stood out on this one the most to me as it was very well balanced and kept me coming back to smell it over and over. Definitely top-notch on the aroma aspect. Really glad I got the opportunity to finally try this one and I suggest you do the same if you are a fan of trappist breweries or just Belgian Pale Ales. You won’t be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 04:06:21 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by yourefragile. Thanks Michael.

The beer is light golden and pretty clear with a dense white head. The aroma brings yeast, light spice, perhaps coriander, a touch of alcohol. Light yet full of flavor. A bit of grain in the finish. Moderate carbonation and quite drinkable. Overall, this is solid.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 23:41:06 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sharing this, Andrew.

Appearance: Clear pale straw, some haze from bottle conditioning. A fair sized head retains well. The body is a shade or two lighter than Westmalle Tripel.

Smell: Yeasty, peppery aroma. A little breadiness, light hoppiness shining through. Hints of pear. Westmalle's signature yeast strain lends a lot of character to this light beer.

Taste/mouthfeel: Bready pale malt, spicy yeast, fruity pear-like esters. Quite bitter and dry with an herbal hop kick and white pepper spiciness. Some husky grain flavor in the finish. Very light in body, though not quite thin. This beer packs a lot of flavor into a low ABV; I like it.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 16:44:54 | More by largadeer

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy yellow color with an off white head. In the aroma, a sweet lemon citrus and yeasty dryness. In the taste, semi sweet lemon citrus with a nice mellow yeast to compliment it. A bitter and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry lemon citrus in the aftertaste. Nice light ABV nice citrus and a mellow hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 21:04:07 | More by OWSLEY069

gford217

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330mL bottle courtesy of fonefan poured into a tulip.

Pours a gorgeous, hazy yellow-orange with a massive rocky white head that recedes very slowly and leaves chunks of lacing. Seriously good looking beer.

Aroma is very light with sweet and spicy yeast paired with light sweet fruits, especially lemons, oranges and bananas. Maybe a faint grassy hop whiff as well.

The taste is a bit different, with a big tartness up front that really surprised me. Definitely some lemon zest in there with a sweet yeasty backbone that goes back to being a little tart and very dry in the finish. There is an overall earthy tone to the whole thing as well.

The mouthfeel is light bodied and extremely highly carbonation. The things just bubbles on the palate all the way down.

This an immensely drinkable light Belgian ale. One of the better sessionable beers I've had in recent memory.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2009 21:47:31 | More by gford217

jrallen34

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I drank this from a 12oz bottle into my Rochefort chalice.

The beer pours medium murky honey gold with a nice white head. The head rises about 2 fingers of creaminess that lasts several minutes and fades to a soapy head leaving lots of thick lacing on the sides.

The aroma is light, with honey, flowers and light hops. Its subtle but nice.

The taste is light, light honey, some hops but a tiny skunk.

The feel is good, pretty good drinkability.

Overall, ok, good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2010 02:53:34 | More by jrallen34

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 mL bottle received from xpimptastikx as an extra, thanks a ton Michael! Monk's table beer from Westmalle, I didn't expect to try this without a trip to Belgium. The bottle is dated 28/07/11, so I'm guessing this was brewed on July 28 2008.

Poured into a Westmalle goblet, the beer is a light orange hued yellow color, lightly hazed with some floating yeasties, and has a thick rocky head, about 2 fingers thick and lasting. The aroma is mild and bready, a light touch of esters not unlike Unibroue. The taste is neutral and balanced, not so much of the esters in the flavor, more toasted malts and lingering bitterness. The body is light but a little chewy, very easy drinking. A treat to try but not engaging enough to make a compelling case for life as a monk. Similar to my experience with Chimay Doree, a good beer to try for better perspective on the Trappists.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2009 22:43:35 | More by TurdFurgison

smakawhat

Maryland

3.69/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Good till June 19th 2014.

A super white and champagne rocky head is made with foamy retention and three fingers tall out of the bottle. Settles incredibly slowly on top of a body that is opaque, lemon orb glowing and a good middle column of rising carbonation, and cascading thin bubbles along the edges. Nearly flawless looking classic Belgian pale ale.

Nose has a hint of light alcohol heat, and sharp yeast spicy qualities. Slightly grassy hops in the background, the beer slightly smells nice if a little hot strangely.

Palate hits with a large amount of soda carbonation. Large amounts of mineral watery earth, and club soda tasting dryness. Sweetness and malt density are nowhere to be found. Aftertaste brings out a little bit sweet candi like sugar, but is highly taken over by the gaseous carbonation. Borderline seltzery, but the mouthfeel is playful but too carbonated and gets into borderline wet quality.

It comes of as a Perrier flavored beer, but with hallmarks of good craftsmanship (particularly it's look and to some degree it's bouquet). Unfortunately the palate is just not delivering for me, but it is quite a unique beer, but this is probably what I wouldn't seek out in a Belgian Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 03:05:35 | More by smakawhat

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2004 Vintage.

Poured a medium, hazy/cloudy golden color with a larger sized white head. Aromas of lemons, light bananas, light yeast and some spices. Tastes of pretty much the same. Lively body that left on a nice clean finish.

This one was much better compared to the Chimay Doree. Monk ’lite’ - a beer that I would drink on a regular basis if I could get a hold of more!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2005 15:46:07 | More by hopdog

Floydster

California

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle acquired in a trade as an extra from blisscent, thank you so much for this nice surprise Nelson, 2004 vintage, good amount of sediment at the bottom, unlabeled with the same cap pictured in its profile, consumed on 12/26/08, reviewed from notes, poured into my Dogfish Head snifter, color is a orangish blonde, one inch fluffy and creamy white head that sticks for over five minutes, good retention, decent lacing, aroma is grassy, straw, bread, grains, and mild flowery scents, flavor is pretty earthy up front, bread dominates the middle, finish is rather chewy, green apples come to the surface as it warms to provide some complexity, nicely balanced and welcoming brew, chewy, earthy, and slightly sweet mouthfeel, medium bodied, moderate level of carbonation, taste lingers well for its light characteristics, could drink several bottles, seems even less than five percent, not filling at all, smooth, pretty awesome to get to try this beer since only the monks that brew it are the ones who drink it supposedly, would love to drink again, recommended

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2009 03:53:06 | More by Floydster

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is a very pale yellow, sediment floating around on a lightly hazy body with a creamy lightly bubbly head. Nose is lemon zest, soft juicy lemon, faint yeast note with some banana and lightly doughy in back. Zesty up front, more yeast to it with some peppery kick, lemon and banana bread in back with a touch of floral hop and light bitterness. Light bodied, lively on the tongue with a very stinging carbonation and dry finish. Nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 16:10:03 | More by cpetrone84

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.43/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got a bottle of this from my mate Brabander. Thanks a lot for the beers man!

From a bottle into a chalice.

APPEARANCE: Pours a massive, medium looking, fluffy, creamy head with great retention. Clear amber yellow in color with medium carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a thick cap and clings to the sides. Good foam cap remains and leaves lots of nice lacing down the glass. Good looking.

SMELL: Muted nose. Pale malts and some green fruits. Apples and pear perhaps, and some light grassy hop notes. Traditional and nice, but too mild.

TASTE: Pale malts, green fruits, and some lemon in there as well. A touch of caramel sweetness and honey to balance the show. Mild yet lingering aftertaste with lemon citrus notes and some caramel sweetness, as well as a bit of bitterness and spicy yeast. Enjoyable flavors, though it could be a little bolder.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy and light on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. Pretty good feel.

OVERALL: A solid and enjoyable pale ale. One I could use as a table beer as well, but compared to the Chimay Doree, this one is simply more mild in flavor. A good beer in itself, but I’d take the Chimay pale ale nine times out of ten. Thanks again for the brews Brabander. They were fun.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 12:38:58 | More by Jeffo

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4.65/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy pale gold with a creamy one finger white head.

Aroma is a lot of grassy hops, with a hint of fruity sweetness, banana.

Taste is supremely balanced, with a light biscuity malt note sitting underneath grassy hop flavor coming out early and sticking around through the clean, refreshing finish. So dry, so different. Flawless for what it is.

Creamy, crisp carbonation, seems to expand in your mouth. Supremely light and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2009 21:01:27 | More by JohnQVegas

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.38/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pour: Clear golden-yellow with a huge foamy head, decent retention, little lacing

Smell & taste: Some light malts, touch of floral aromas and spices; taste is much the same. Not really much too it, although it is very dry and a bit earthy/doughy. Very "wit" like.

Mouthfeel: Yeasty and thin; carbotion is too high

Drinkability: Finished the bottle, but if offered another would have to ask "what else do you have?"

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:33:16 | More by craytonic

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.93/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A HUGE thanks to Thorpe429 for bringing this gem back for me from Belgium! All praise to Thorpe!

33cl brown glass pry-top, Westmalle Extra logo cap, front and back labels, back stamped Best Before 27/04/13, 4 014545. I think this means it was brewed 4/27/11...(?)

Pours a thin, crackly bright (yet hazy) yellow with very thin white head that has little retention. Nose is very simple and lemony. Smells fresh, but not very complex.

Palate is light-bodied and zippy with some champagne-like carbonation (small bubbles). Flavors of lemon zest and fresh straw, a little minerality, but not much else. The finish is moderate and the carbonation dries out any possibility of sweetness. A note of bitterness crops up late on the finish too.

Notes: A fairly simple and focused ale. Exactly what I expected from a bier de table. Would drink this all the time if it were available and inexpensive. Refreshing is perhaps the word I'm looking for! Thanks again to Thorpe, truly honored to have tried this one!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 01:08:08 | More by SFLpunk